[Ike] FW: News Articles

[Weinand, Stacey]

FYI-- I realize that this a just one example of the great Summer Academies that are happening this summer but I wanted to share.  I know that I have missed some of the other news articles, but if you have a copy of a press release to share about your IKE or another Summer Academy, please send on this list for others to see.

Stacey

> Academy shows students basics of forensics science 
> 2002-07-09
> By Diane Plumberg Clay
> The Oklahoman
> 
> A visit from a police detective in 1998 to Hoover Middle School's seventh grade convinced Larry Jackson he wanted to help catch bad guys. 
> 
> He listened to the detective talk about dusting for fingerprints, collecting evidence and finding out who-done-it. His interest was piqued. 
> 
> For the next four years, Jackson watched real-life detective shows on The Learning Channel and programs on forensics. 
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> "I watched that on TV, and it clicked," he said. "It fascinated me more and more. ... I thought forensics would be cool." 
> 
> That fascination led the current high school junior to Oklahoma Christian University this summer to study forensics along with 25 other high school students. 
> 
> The students were part of the first annual "In Cold Blood" forensics academy for teaching applications of biotechnology in forensics science. 
> 
> Students from across the state applied to attend one of two forensics camps, which lasted five days. The second academy ended this past week. 
> 
> Each student received a laptop computer to use during the academy and were treated to more than they expected. 
> 
> They studied statistics, read about real murders, learned about crime scene safety and were taken through a mock crime scene by experts from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. And that was the first day. 
> 
> During the rest of the academy, they learned the concepts of heredity, how to match DNA through gel electrophoresis, studied evidence evaluation and were told about courtroom expectations and procedures. 
> 
> They also toured the forensic science and crash facilities at the Federal Aviation Administration in Oklahoma City. 
> 
> On the last day of the academy, they presented their findings to an audience of parents, family, friends and the professors who helped them get there. 
> 
> "I knew they did criminal investigations, but I had no idea what the process was. I learned a lot," said Rachel Frederick, a senior at Shattuck High School. 
> 
> Frederick said she signed up for the academy because it was one of the few camps that would fit into her busy schedule. She plans to spend the rest of the summer volunteering at hospitals and shadowing doctors before applying to the medical school program at the University of Missouri. 
> 
> Heather Hudacko, a senior at Bishop McGuinness High School, signed up for the camp to find out if this was an area she would be interested in pursuing. 
> 
> "I definitely want to do something science," she said. "It's great." 
> 
> The students said they learned how to solve a crime as well as how painstaking the process is and how long it takes to figure out who committed the offense. 
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> "It takes a long time. We're just doing simple stuff, and it has taken us this whole week," Hudacko said. 
> 
> The students were required to use what they learned to solve a mock crime. 
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> The crime was the shooting death of a child found in her home. The students viewed the body (a doll), snapped photographs, dusted and collected fingerprints, took swabs of blood (Arby's sauce and jelly) for DNA analysis and gathered evidence from the scene. 
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> One piece of evidence from the mock scene was a letter written by the boyfriend of the child's mother. Students learned how to separate the ink from the letter into color bands and compare them to the ink from a pen found at the suspect's home. 
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> They used the blood samples to analyze the DNA. They compared and matched (or unmatched) the DNA to suspects, then graphed the information using a computer spreadsheet. > 
> 
> They also used magnifying glasses to find similarities between fingerprints collected at the scene and those of several suspects. The had to match loops, arches, swirls and other fingerprint characteristics. The process took hours. 
> 
> By the fourth day, most of the students were convinced the man to arrest was John Davis, the mother's boyfriend. 
> 
> "We found his DNA at the scene, and his fingerprints kind of matched up," Hudacko said. 
> 
> Finding the right suspect isn't the only thing the students learned during the camp. After studying all of the ways the perpetrator can be caught, they were more convinced than ever to stay away from violence. 
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> "You have to be really good to get away with a crime," Jackson said. 
> 
> Jackson, who said he excels at chemistry, plans to major in forensic science at the University of Oklahoma and minor in meteorology after graduating from John Marshall High School. If forensic science doesn't work out, he said he might become a detective. 
> 
> "Detective work isn't too bad," he said. 
> 
> The forensics academy was the idea of biology professors Kim Gaither and Molly Hill after Ben Hutchinson, dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Oklahoma Christian University, asked several of his professors to come up with a way to use summer grants. 
> 
> The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education provided the three-year grant worth more than $50,000 to pay for part of the camp with the university picking up the rest of the cost. 
> 
> Chemistry professor Eric Harris ran the academy. 
> 
> "It gives us a chance to give these students a head start in looking at college careers," Harris said. 
> 
> "We have some very bright students that come through here." 
> 
> Students came from Edmond, Oklahoma City, Vian, Shattuck, Little Axe and other areas. 
> 
> 
> Interns learn ABCs of fighting blazes 
> 2002-07-09
> By Dawn Marks
> The Oklahoman
> 
> GUYMON -- For the past year, the Guymon Fire Department has had a fire in its station. 
> 
> Interns are injecting the department with the zest of students excited about their future careers while providing the community with additional firefighters, Fire Chief Ed Kirtley said. 
> 
> The program, in cooperation with Oklahoma Panhandle State University, has given students the opportunity to earn a fire protection degree while logging hours of experience at the department. 
> 
> "It's a tremendous benefit. I think they also bring enthusiasm to the department. They're fired up about being firefighters," Kirtley said. 
> 
> Departments and universities across the nation have similar programs, but it is the only one in the Panhandle, he said. 
> 
> Dale Block, executive director of the Rural Fire Coordinators of Oklahoma, said he isn't aware of any other similar program in the state. He said training is especially vital in rural areas. 
> 
> "It makes him (the intern) a better firefighter. It makes him safer," he said. 
> 
> To enter the three-year program, interested men and women must be full-time students at Panhandle State and in good standing. Interns first obtain Fire Fighter I certification before they can fight fires and EMT-Basic certification before providing patient care. 
> 
> The students work six, 24-hour shifts a month, performing basic duties at the station and responding to emergencies. 
> 
> During emergencies, they receive the same pay as department volunteers, $8 an hour. They are not paid for time at the station, Kirtley said. 
> 
> The interns attend all training sessions offered during their shifts, more than 30 hours a month in areas such as fire behavior, incident command, pump operation and safety. 
> 
> Through the training, the interns receive several professional certifications, which are now entrance requirements for many departments, Kirtley said. The department pays for all the on-duty training and any vocational training by outside agencies. > 
> 
> In addition, interns are certified as EMT-Paramedics and will have hundreds of hours experience providing direct patient care after the third year. 
> 
> Each intern exceeds the training normally provided during a recruit academy in most metropolitan fire departments, Kirtley said. 
> 
> The students also are required to maintain 12 hours each semester toward a college degree, preferably in fire protection technology. The interns are responsible for paying their college tuition. 
> 
> The final benefit is the college degree. The associate's degree contains the routine general education courses and core courses in fire protection, some of which are taught by Guymon firefighters, said Dale Goldsmith, the university's vice president for academic affairs. 
> 
> Despite the low enrollment, Goldsmith said the school plans to continue the program because it "serves the needs of the area." 
> 
> The department is building a new station that will have a dormitory for the interns. Once completed, 22 interns will be able to live at the station at no cost as a benefit of the program. 
> 
> Those interns will fill a vital role at the department, with 15 full-time firefighters and 20 volunteers, because some volunteers cannot respond to fires Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kirtley said. 
> 
> The program has been so successful that the department has hired one intern, Andrew Barbosa, to fill a full-time position. 
> 
> Justin House, a 22-year-old Cashion native, started his internship in January and thinks it will give him an edge in finding a job after graduation. 
> 
> "It's the best job in the world," House said. "This gives you a step above and ahead because you already have that experience. We do the duties the same as the regular firefighters."
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